The historic records of ants from Benin enumerate only 22 species. Our collections, with a primary focus on the mango farm ecosystem, Mangifera indica , have brought this total to 133 species of which only six were recorded before. The Benin specimens for all but six species have been checked against type images on Antweb.org. Twenty species have been recognised as distinct and raised to species status, with explanatory notes. Four species appear to be new but will be described elsewhere.